Milan, 13 April 2010 – A.A. V.V. Autori Vari per l’abitare is the title of the new installation Lea Ceramiche will be taking to the 49th edition of the International Furniture Fair of Milan (14 – 19 April 2010). For the occasion, the recently-opened showroom in Via Durini will be taking on a new look, with an installation that is the fruit of a choral narration technique: 2 technical designers, Diego Grandi and Patrick Norguet, and 3 companies, Lea Ceramiche together with Fritz Hansen and Louis Poulsen.

Inside the showroom, Patrick Norguet will be offering his interpretation of Scenario 02 with an original take on the Literary Café theme, starring the new Lines collection of ceramic wall coverings designed for the first time for Lea Ceramiche. The French designer imagines an authentic “grotto/cave”, a refuge in which to relax and get lost in a book, a temporary shelter to reflect within. Appropriately shaped 300x100cm slabs draw the contours of the space, with the personal decoration of the surface offering new perspectives and demonstrating a fresh concept of surfaces in architecture. Norguet explores the use of Lea Ceramiche's new Full HD technology, applied to the large-size Slimtech laminated porcelain stoneware, and creates a series of horizontal and vertical patterns on the surface, enhancing the three-dimensional effect. Lea Slimtech slabs are just 3mm thick, and are the result of two innovative technologies that place them streets ahead of traditional porcelain stoneware tile techniques and offer designers a whole new way of applying ceramic materials in architecture.

Diego Grandi, art director of Lea Ceramiche, will be reflecting once more on the visual aspect of design, playing around on this occasion with the different opportunities offered by indoor and outdoor areas. In the internal courtyard adjacent to the showroom, the key elements of his installation are the two iconic figures of the “little houses” that host the bookshop and the coffee bar. Small, ephemeral architectures give definition to two spaces that are independent, yet engage in dialogue with the garden. The graphic hallmark is evident in the major role played by the Mauk collection, presented here in the Spina module, which profiles and enhances the architectural shapes.

The aim of Scenario 02 is to underline the vocation of Lea Ceramiche's Milan showroom

: to be, above all, a place in which to engage in dialogue with the city as well as to experiment with decorative languages that differ widely from each other. The space is conceived as benchmark for in-depth study of issues related to surfaces and to design, and to explore partnerships with companies in the sector that share a similar vision and objectives.